Brooklyn man, 19, shot to death in case of mistaken identity: police

CANARSIE, Brooklyn (PIX11) – A 19-year-old Brooklyn man who was gunned down outside his home Tuesday was likely killed due to a case of mistaken identity, police said.

Christian Montrose, 19, was killed in a drive-by shooting in front of his family’s home on East 104th Street in Canarsie, according to the NYPD.

The shooting was captured on surveillance video. Christian came home and parked his car just before 2:45 a.m. A black Acura drove up next to his vehicle. Christian got out of his car and was shot multiple times.

The suspect vehicle quickly drove off after the shooting. Christian was able to run into his home and was found by his brother, according to police. He was rushed to a hospital but couldn’t be saved.

NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said there’s been “significant” gang violence in the area where the shooting occurred. Kenny said Christian was "innocent" and was likely killed due to a case of mistaken identity.

“This is a good kid. He’s got no arrests,” Kenny said. “No gang, no drugs, he doesn’t even drink alcohol. He’s a car buff. Everything this kid loves to do has to do with cars. He’s not involved in any gang.”

It’s unclear how many people were involved in the drive-by shooting. No arrests have been made.

Christian’s grief-stricken parents said they didn’t have any idea who would want to kill their son. 

“The last thing my son said today was, ‘Mommy, did I hug you for the day?’ recalled Annett Montrose, Christian’s mother. “My son goes to church. He’s not in a gang. He loved cars. He drove for a living. That’s it. My son didn’t do anything wrong.”

Christian's cousin told PIX11 News that he had just graduated from high school and was looking to get into the automotive industry as a mechanic.

“He was a great kid. He loved working on his cars, driving. This is really shocking to me, honestly. I’m very surprised,” the cousin said. “He used to play basketball in front of the house. Just surprised that this happened.”